Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
Serving Lincoln County for more than a century!
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OKANOGAN — A lawsuit filed Friday in Douglas County against Gov. Jay Inslee’s stay-at-home order was continued to 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 29, in Okanogan County Superior Court this morning. The case was moved to Okanogan County because Douglas County commissioners are among the plaintiffs in the suit. Assistant Attorney General Zachary Jones contended Inslee’s stay-at-home order was issued in Thurston County and therefore should be heard in a Thurston County courtroom. Jones...
MOSES LAKE — Two people were killed in a head-on crash in the eastbound lanes of Interstate 90, about four miles east of the city about 2:37 p.m. Monday, May 18. Robert J. Miller, 59, of Auburn, and Emanuel G. Schaible, 87, of Moses Lake, were both pronounced dead at the scene near Milepost 183. The eastbound lanes of the interstate were closed while the Washington State Patrol investigated the scene; they reopened at 6:33 p.m. According to the patrol, Schaible was westbound in the eastbound lanes; Miller was eastbound. T...
ODESSA - Eastern Washington residents are wearing medical masks these days due to the coronavirus pandemic. But longtime resi- dents recall that this isn't the first time they've seen masks covering faces. Some say they can recall the day the morn- ing that daylight turned to night – May 18, 1980. That was the day Mount St. Helens erupted. "It was pitch black," resident Mike Cronrath recalled. "If you put your hand in front of your face, you wouldn't have been able to see i...
DAVENPORT - In March, Lincoln Hospital nurse Michelle Wilkins was offered new position. The infec- tion control manager of the nursing staff retired. The U.S. was still in the early stages of the COVID- 19 pandemic at the time. Taking over infection management at a hospital in the middle of a pandemic may not seem appealing to everyone. Wilkins, who had been with the hospital for almost six years, decided to accept the challenge. "Who volunteers for a job like that, right?"...
MOSCOW, Idaho — A free drive-in movie theater will be set up in the ASUI-Kibbie Activity Center gravel parking lot for the next four Saturdays. The Moscow Drive-In gate opens at 7 p.m., and movies start at 8 p.m. Enter on Stadium Drive. The events are being offered by The University of Idaho, City of Moscow and Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre. The movies are on a first-come, first-served basis; attendance is limited to 140 vehicles. The movies will not be canceled for w...
CHENEY – A dining favorite in the city has shut its doors permanently. Lenny's American and Italian Fine Cuisine on 1st Street has officially closed. While a post on the businesses Facebook page March 28 noted they were closing their doors due to restrictions imposed by measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Jennifer Matika, wife of owner John Matika, said today (May 14) they had made the closure permanent. "It's very devastating for us to have to close down" she s...
INCIDENT LOG Editor’snote:Mostitems in this section reflect the starting point for response by local police and emer- gency agencies. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office does not release names of indi- viduals who report possi- ble criminal or suspicious activities to dispatchers or alleged victims for this col- umn. Several listings are missing locations because the Lincoln County Sheriff’s office did not include in its report to the media. May 4 An Almira caller reported a door to a vacant house open for the second time...
DAVENPORT - Restaurants, barbers, nail salons and retail stores are among businesses preparing to open as guidelines are issued by the state Department of Health under Gov. Jay Inslee's COVID-19 reopening plan. Businesses are not allowed to open until these guidelines are announced. The guidelines, how-ever, involve more than keeping people six feet away from each other. The first set of Phase 2 guidelines that has been released is for restaurants. In addition to social distan...
DAVENPORT — Rural medical centers like Lincoln Hospital and its clinics are struggling to survive during the coronavirus shutdown. A shortage of patients has prompted Lincoln Hospital officials to ask employees to take volun- tary standby unemployment. “We are doing everything in our power to avoid mandatory furloughs,” CEO Tyson Lacy said. The misconceptions of hospitals being overran by patients sick with COVID-19 are scaring would-be patients from visiting for other issues. As a result, rural hospitals are mostly empty...
HATTON -- The National Weather Service is reporting a largely stationary line of thunderstorms stretching from Hatton to near the Ritzville area this evening, May 18. A funnel cloud was also reported in the Colfax area. The thunderstorms are moving to the north and east. Expect brief heavy rain, hail and frequent lightning. Localized flooding may occur where the rainfall is heavy. A hazardous weather outlook has been issued for Adams County and portions of Lincoln and Spokane counties....
RITZVILLE -- One person is dead in an early morning shooting here at a home at the corner of Seventh Avenue and Washington Street. Police Chief Dave McCormick said the shooting occurred about 5:30 a.m. Dispatchers received a call at 5:39 a.m. from a neighbor who heard gunshots, he said. Officers arriving on scene found one person deceased. McCormick was still on the scene, along with Adams County Sgt. Garcia, at 9:30 a.m. No other information was immediately available....
Editor's note: This story has been updated on May 13 at 11:01 a.m. to add "state appropriations" to Athletics Director Lynn Hickey's statement on the estimated loss of revenue sources. CHENEY – Eastern Washington University’s Athletics Department is eyeing an estimated $2.1 million loss in revenue, Athletics Director Lynn Hickey said during the weekly “Lunch & Learn” show on the department’s Facebook page. Hickey told host Larry Weir on Tuesday, May 12, that the estimated loss comes from an anticipated reduction in state app...
OLYMPIA — If you test positive for conoravirus, be prepared to be quarantined at home. That’s the message Gov. Jay Inslee shared during a Tuesday afternoon press conference on his plan for “contact tracing” of the virus. Under his plan, anyone who tests positive will be quarantined at home. Moreover, anyone in their immediate family and anyone with whom they’ve had contact, will also be quarantined in their homes. While the governor called the plan “voluntary,” he also acknowledged that the state will be keeping tabs...
AIRWAY HEIGHTS — The owners of a local tavern plan to be open from 2 p.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday despite the coronavirus quarantine. Village Tavern co-owner Jean Moore hopes other bars and restaurants will join her in opening in defiance of Gov. Jay Inslee's order shutting so-called "non-essential" businesses. The seating is spaced out, she said, noting she's planning to open those same 12 hours daily. The tavern is at 13119 W. Sunset Highway. Gov. Inslee's staff has not approved of any in-restaurant dining in the city or surrou...
ODESSA - A surgeon at Lincoln Hospital will begin offering services at Odessa Clinic on may 26. Last fall, Dr. Raaj Ruparel moved from Rochester, Minn., to Davenport, where he leads general surgery services and performs lumpectomies, appendectomies, port placements, mastectomies, hernia repairs, colonoscopies, endoscopies and more. He previously finished his residency at Mayo Clinic as chief general surgery resident. He also completed a general surgery internship and a...
Palouse Falls State Park has reopened for day-use activities. Location just south of Washtucna of state Highway 261, the park features two waterfalls, one is the 20-foot upper falls, the other is the 198-foot main falls....
RITZVILLE — Ritzville Golf Course was scheduled to open Tuesday for those who reserved a tee time. The municipal golf couse at 104 E. 10th Ave. also limits use to two players, or four if they are family members living in the same household. Only one person may be on a golf cart on the course, officials said. To reserve a tee time, call 509-659-1930. Greens fees can be paid over the phone, dropped off in the City Hall drop box, or mailed to 216 E. Main Ave., Ritzville, WA 99169....
COULEE DAM – Fishing resumed in Washington and within Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area on Tuesday in coordination with state officials. The reservoir had been closed to fishing and boating by federal officials in cooperation with Gov. Jay Inslee’s quarantine on outdoor recreation. That quarantine also included a ban on hiking on public lands, golfing and camping, which remains closed statewide. But as of Tuesday, boat launches reopened on lakes statewide, including Lake Roosevelt. Docks at Seven Bays and Kettle Fal...
LIND – The Lind Combine Demolition Derby has fallen casualty to the coronavirus pandemic. During an April 28 Town Council meeting, Mayor Paula Bell said the Lions Club has cancelled the event for this year. The news reached Sen. Mark Schoesler quickly. “As a past champion of the Lind Lions Club Combine Demolition Derby, I was sorry to learn this past weekend that one of the local casualties of the Inslee shutdown is the 2020 derby,” Sen. Mark Schoesler, R-Ritzville, said May 1 while also responding to the governor’s decisio...
OLYMPIA — Gov. Jay Inslee is now facing four lawsuits over his “unconstitutional” overreach in using the coronavirus pandemic as a reason to quarantine healthy Washingtonians. Two new lawsuits were filed Tuesday with attorneys Joel B. Ard and David K. DeWolf representing the plaintiffs in both suits. One of the new lawsuits was filed by Republican lawmakers Reps. Andrew Barkis of Olympia, Chris Corry of Yakima, Drew McEwen of Union and Brandon Vick of Clark County, among others. The lawsuit alleges that Gov. Inslee violated t...
DAVENPORT - Lincoln County is in the midst of filing for a variance to reopen businesses and services. County Public Health Administrator Ed Dzedzy said Wednesday morning that he expects to submit an application to the state Department of Health later that day to move on to Phase 2 of Gov. Jay Inslee's four-phase plan to open the economy. The reopening plan comes in response to the governor's "stay home" quarantine ordered in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Inslee...
DAVENPORT — Lincoln County Superior Court Judge John Strohmaier announced this week that he will not seek a fourth term. Strohmaier, who has served since 2008, will leave the bench in January. Strohmaier says he and his wife would like to be able to travel while they are still in good health. “I went back and forth on this,” Strohmaier said. “I thought, ‘Well, I can go longer. I’m heathy.’ But then I thought, ‘Maybe it’s a good idea to retire while you’re still healthy.’” Strohmaier, 64, said he would have been interested in...
DAVENPORT -- Lincoln County has the third fewest coronavirus confirmed cases in the state. No cases have been logged in Odessa, and only two in Lincoln County. Garfield County does not have any cases and Pend Oreille County only has one. Adjacent Adams County has 48 confirmed cases — mostly in the Othello area — and Grant County has 180 confirmed cases....
DAVENPORT — Construction has resumed on Lincoln Hospital and Clinics’ new clinic. The Lincoln Hospital board voted to halt construction during Gov. Jay Inslee’s initial coronavirus quarantine orders. “The decision to pause the building allowed us more time to understand the circumstances surrounding the virus containment and how it would affect us long term,” CEO Tyson Lacy said....
DUSTY — A duststorm caused near-zero visibility and led to at least three crashes in the area Monday, April 27. According to the Washington State Patrol, three people were cited in a four-vehicle crash for allegedly driving too fast for conditions on state Highway 25 three miles west of town. The crash occurred when one driver slowed due to thick dust blowing off adjacent farm fields, the patrol reported. That vehicle was struck by another motorists, who was then struck by a...
